Unitized package for sheet materials and method for packaging same

ABSTRACT

Improved manner for relatively low cost utilized packaging of glass sheets while ensuring the same against breakage and weathering during transportation or storage.

United States Patent [72] Inventors J||neeS.Kean,Sr.;

S T N E T mm C am I an S D R E n N U m 5 Frederick L. Metxger; Ralph C.Hansen, all ol Toledo, Ohio RXRRRm 2 222/ mz mmn 6 66 mm mm o 2 5 Mn lfl eal mmls cc ca nr W M CR-Mm Mm YW o mmfia GWRRAK 797990 553667 999999HHHHH 850578 I. 097438 53 238 .99 254282 084652 3 ,3 223 33 v. m m C m lmi 94 9 J v M 4 a o. m. -eMNLT a de N M L n wmmm AHPA UMU 2247 .l.[.l.l

Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair [54] Aging Examiner-Save AND METHODFOR PACKAGING SAME Au0rny -Co||in3 and Oberlin 8 Claims, 7 Drawing Flgs.

[52] 206/62 R, 53/30. 206/65 S. 229/DlG. l2

8651! 85/48 ABSTRACT: Improved manner for relatively low cost utilized53/30; packaging of glass sheets while ensuring the same againstbreakage and weathering during transportation or storage.

[5l] ht. [50] Field of 206/46 R, 46 BK. 62 R, 65 S; 229/DIG. l2

PATENTEnunv 9 l9?! SHEET 2 OF 2 izzi FIELD OF THE INVENTION According toconventional handling of glass, sheets, as for the glazing of windowsand like purposes, have been boxed or otherwise packed in so-called 50foot lots. That is to say, regardless of the thickness or size of theindividual sheets, the preferred total footage of glass is 50 squarefeet. Thus, sheets of like thickness and area, as well as quality, arecombined as a packaged unit or group. In this respect, the thickness andarea of the sheets can determine the actual number that will conform toor approximate the total footage.

Because of the large number of various sizes and thicknesses of sheetsto be packaged, the ready provision of suitably sized containers hascontinued to create a serious problem, both from the standpoint of anadequate supply as well as the relatively high cost of the startingmaterials and then ultimate disposal. It is contemplated by thisinvention to simplify the packaging of glass and at the same timeprovide adequate protective means that will satisfy the requirements forsafe handling and protection from weathering. Moreover, it is hereincontemplated that when a number of sheets have been wrapped and sealedin a plastic envelope to form a package, a selected number of suchpackages can be stacked, either horizontally or vertically, on atransporting rack or pallet and then in unitized relation further sealedwithin a plastic envelope. This final containment of the packagesensures they will be additionally protected from damage as by dust ormoisture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates broadly to theart of packaging and more particularly is directed to unitized packagingof glass sheets.

It is an important object of the invention to provide an improved mannerof packaging in which glass sheets can be rapidly and satisfactorilyassembled as a stack in a relatively short time and with the danger orpossibilities of injury to the glass during packaging and in transitbeing substantially eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package for glass sheetswherein a stack of glass sheets are enclosed within a protecting caseand a sealed envelope and then further contained within a substantiallyrigid frame which is then contained in a sealed moisture-proof envelope.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for arranging anumber of packages of glass sheets in a stacked unit on a suitabletransporting pallet and enclosing the packages in a sealed envelopewhich is impervious to entry of dust or moisture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a package for glasssheets that is of relatively low cost and adapted to convenient handlingduring transit or storage with similarly produced packages.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparentduring the course of the following description when read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package for sheet materials asconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the plane ofline 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane of line 3-3ofFlG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the plane ofline 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of sealed plurality of glass sheet packagearranged on a pallet; and

FIG. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the plane ofline 7-7 of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As illustrated in FIG. 6 of thedrawings, the unitized stacking and sealing of a plurality of glasssheet packages is designated in its entirety by the numeral 15. Thisunit 15 is sealed in an envelope of plastic sheeting I6 and arranged ona transport pallet 17. While as herein illustrated, the packages 18 arevertically stacked on the pallet with the planes of the glass sheetsplaced horizontally, it is also contemplated that the packages can bealternatively placed on a pallet such that the planes of the sheets willbe vertically disposed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the glass sheets arepackaged in the manner illustrated in FIG. I; the completed packagebeing designated by the number 20. And in an equally satisfactory way, anumber of glass sheets are adapted to be packaged in a modified form ofthe invention as illustrated in FIG. 4 and designated by the numeral 50.

With reference now to FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, a selected numberof glass sheets 21 are first packed in a panel 22 of corrugatedpaperboard that has been precut and prescored, as at 23, to define abody portion or back panel 24, side, top and bottom flanges,respectively, indicated by the numerals 25, 26 and 27. The element ofthe paperboard panel forming the remaining side flange 28 isadditionally prescored, as indicated by the numeral 29, to provide acover or front panel 30. When the several flanges are bent to engage theedges of the glass sheets, they constitute a relatively rigid protectivecase 31 in which the sheets are adequately contained.

This cased arrangement is then sealed into an envelope 35 which servesto hold the flanged elements of the case 31 firmly in position. Such anenvelope is preferably of a heat-scalable transparent plastic materialor sheeting on which the case 31 is placed and such that the sideportions of the plastic layer spanning the front of the case and comingup along one side thereof can be sealed together by a suitable ironingtool and then trimmed to provide an integral seam or flap 36 that can befolded upon itself. The upper and lower extremities of the plasticsheeting are then in sequence folded and sealed together by the ironingtool. Such upper and lower flaps which completed sealing of the envelopeare designated at 37 and 38. Preferably, the desired characteristics ofthe plastic material of the envelope 35 lends the same susceptible to aheating action that will serve to shrink the envelope about the case 31.

Now the relatively simple manipulation of the plastic sheeting readilyaccomplishes two important purposes in that by being adapted to betautened when sealed and shrunk about the case 31 the completed envelope35 becomes substantially skintight and holds the same in a firm positionwith regard to the glass sheets which serves to prevent inadvertentshifting or jarring of the sheets one against the other. Moreover, thesealed condition of the plastic affords an effective barrier against theingress of moisture and dust. In other words, sweating or otherweathering of the surfaces of the sheets has been found to besubstantially reduced, if not completely eliminated, with a resultingminimum amount of glass loss.

As herein above noted, the relatively large number of variousdimensional sizes and thicknesses of glass sheets has imposed a seriousproblem for many years. Since the initial packaging of glass sheetsinvolves only a previously prescored panel and a length of plasticsheeting, a ready solution to the problem is readily apparent.

The envelope 35 is now encompassed in a frame 40 formed by the assemblyof a plurality of bars or logs 4I of a cushioning material, such asfiberboard, which is known to possess considerable strength orresistance against crushing. As viewed in FIG. 1, the logs 41 arearranged around the perimeter of the envelope and held together to fonnthe frame 40 by a plastic envelope 45. This is accomplished by placingthe case 31 in the envelope 35 on a length of plastic sheeting, locatingthe logs 41 thereabout and then heat-sealing the respective side and endareas of the sheet together. As noted earlier, the two side portionswhen sealed fon'n an integral seam or flap 46 with the end areas formingsimilar flaps 47 and 48. The outer envelope 45, while retaining the logsof the frame 410 firmly about the envelope 35, creates a further barrieragainst entry of moisture and dust.

MODIFIED FORM OF THE INVENTION With reference now to FIG. 4, themodified form of package 50 contemplates a stack of glass sheets 51 thatare provided in the corner areas with protective caps 52. As known inthe art, such caps are usually of a corrugated paper construction whichis precut and scored to fit over the edges of the sheets, as at 53, andthe adjacent surfaces of the outermost sheets of the stack, as at 54.The glass sheets and comer caps are then assembled between a back panel56 and front panel 57 of corrugated paperboard or like material. Thesheets 51 within the panels 56 and 57 are then received in an envelope60 of heatsealable plastic material. The plastic is sealed to form sideand end flaps, such as side flap indicated by the numeral 61 and the topand bottom flaps 62 and 63, respectively, thereby providing a relativelytaut, moisture and dust-proof envelope about the glass sheets.

The envelope 60 is then placed on a length of plastic sheeting and aframe 65 is fonned thereabout by the logs 66 of fiberboard. Proceedingaccording to the above-described manner, a like, outer envelope 70 isformed to contain the frame 65 and firmly hold the logs against thesides of the envelope 60. This is achieved by sealing the sides of thesheeting to create the seams of the sides and ends thereof, such as theside flap 71, top flap 72 and bottom flap 73.

In comparing the structures of the package 20, as produced according tothe preferred form of invention, as in FIG. 1 and the type of package 50illustrated in FIG. 4, it is evident the modified embodiment does notinclude a panel having flanged elements that enclose the edges of thesheets. This, on the other hand, provides a package of glass sheets inwhich the edges are protected by the corner caps 52 and the frame 65while the planar surfaces will be covered and protected by the panels 56and 57.

Earlier reference has been made to thickness of the glass sheets whichare usually of precut sizes intended for the glazing of windows or likeopenings. Such thickness, in the nomenclature of the glass industry, iscommonly referred to as sheet glass of single strength and doublestrength." Obviously, a stack of single strength sheets with a totalfootage as of 50 square feet will have a total thickness that is lessthan a stack of double strength sheets of like footage.

The above-described ways of packaging glass sheets can, of course, beemployed to advantage for the handling of polished plate glass andlaminated or other types of automotive glass and whether or not thenumber and/or sizes of the sheets approximates 50 square feet.

In considering the ways in which the glass sheet packages can betransported, it is believed important to note that a package of glasssheets can be placed horizontally and stacked vertically on a palletwith like packages as illustrated in FIG. 6. Alternatively, the packagescan be stood on edge on a skid, pallet or like movable platform. When anumber of packages have been arranged in either manner, they arecontained on the pallet 17, as by the envelope 16, to form what isreferred to as a unitized pack. Likewise, the stack of packages can besecured on a pallet by metal banding when this means of forming aunitized pack is desired. In this way, the packages and pallet can bereadily handled and transported until a final area of distribution hasbeen reached. When piled or stacked one upon another, as abovementioned, the frames of the packages will serve to support theaccumulative weight.

In this connection, when the packages are arranged in vertically stackedrelation, there is a lesser possibility for the sheets to be broken byinadvertent damage to the edges. As hereinabove indicated in FIG. 7, byway of example, the frames 65 encompass the edge perimeters of thesheets which also are protected by the comer caps 52. This is believedto be one reason for effectively employing the modified form forpackaging lass sheets of either thickness.

An equaly pertinent reason resides in the reduction in number andformation of prescored paperboard panels required for the packagingoperations. This would be true since the width of the flanges for acase, such as the case 31, when containing single strength glass wouldbe narrower than the width of the flanges for a case to contain doublestrength glass of the same dimensional area. In consequence, the type ofscaled package of FIG. 4 is well adapted for packaging of allthicknesses of glass sheets and when arranged in a unitized pack.

We claim:

ll. A package of sheet material such as glass or the like, comprising alot of individual sheets arranged in face to face relation, layers ofcushioning material covering exposed edge and surface areas of said lot,an envelope of plastic material enclosing and shrunk onto said coveredlot, strips of cushioning material covering edges of said plasticenclosed lot, and a second envelope of plastic material enclosing andshrunk onto said edge covered plastic enclosed lot.

2. A package as defined in claim 1 which includes a plurality of othersuch plastic enclosed lots of sheets assembled in face to face relationtherewith, and a third and common envelope of plastic material enclosingand shrunk onto said assembly.

3. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said layers of cushioningmaterial include panels covering said surface areas, and portions fromat least one of said panels overlapping and covering said edge areas.

4. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said layers of cushioningmaterial comprise a single sheet scored and folded to fit over and coversaid edge and surface areas.

5. A package as defined in claim I in which said cushioning layersinclude cap members covering corners and adjacent edge and surface areasof said lot of sheets, and panels covering exposed surface areasthereof.

6. A package as defined in claim I in which said layers and strips ofcushioning material are of fiber board.

7. A package as defined in claim 5 in which said cap members and saidpanels are of corrugated paper.

8. A method of packaging lots of sheet material such as glass or thelike, comprising arranging the individual sheets of said lot in face toface relation, covering the exposed edge and surface areas of said lotwith cushioning material, enveloping said covered lot in a sheet ofplastic material, shrinking said plastic into skintight contact withsaid covered lot, covering the edges of said enveloped lot withcushioning material, enveloping said edge covered enveloped lot in asecond sheet of plastic material, and shrinking said second mentionedenvelope into skintight engagement with the contents thereof.

It t El 19 I01

1. A package of sheet material such as glass or the like, comprising alot of individual sheets arranged in face to face relation, layers ofcushioning material covering exposed edge and surface areas of said lot,an envelope of plastic material enclosing and shrunk onto said coveredlot, strips of cushioning material covering edges of said plasticenclosed lot, and a second envelope of plastic material enclosing andshrunk onto said edge covered plastic enclosed lot.
 2. A package asdefined in claim 1 which includes a plurality of other such plasticenclosed lots of sheets assembled in face to face relation therewith,and a third and common envelope of plastic material enclosing and shrunkonto said assembly.
 3. A package as defined in claim 1 in which saidlayers of cushioning material include panels covering said surfaceareas, and portions from at least one of said panels overlapping andcovering said edge areas.
 4. A package as defined in claim 1 in whichsaid layers of cushioning material comprise a single sheet scored andfolded to fit over and cover said edge and surface areas.
 5. A packageas defined in claim 1 in which said cushioning layers include capmembers covering corners and adjacent edge and surface areas of said lotof sheets, and panels covering exposed surface areas thereof.
 6. Apackage as defined in claim 1 in which said layers and strips ofcushioning material are of fiber board.
 7. A package as defined in claim5 in which said cap members and said panels are of corrugated paper. 8.A method of packaging lots of sheet material such as glass or the like,comprising arranging the individual sheets of said lot in face to facerelation, covering the exposed edge and surface areas of said lot withcushioning material, enveloping said covered lot in a sheet of plasticmaterial, shrinking said plastic into skintight contact with saidcovered lot, covering the edges of said enveloped lot with cushioningmaterial, enveloping said edge covered enveloped lot in a second sheetof plastic material, and shrinking said second mentioned envelope intoskintight engagement with the contents thereof.